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22 February 2013

Goblinquest - first proper playtest

With Mrs Rab and both Rablings away for the night I took the chance to head over to roll some dice and chew the fat with my mate Chris (antipixi, for any Blood Bowl types reading this). He was happy to give Goblinquest a go; great news because (in his own words) he's an "awkward, devious bastard" when it come to exploiting loopholes in rules. If he couldn't 'break' Goblinquest, I was going to be pretty satisfied... and he didn't, so I was :)

First, a few snapshots of the quest to rescue the damsel from the necromancer and his goblinoid allies. Check out the Hello Kitty cloth on Chris' table; it is even pinker in real life! Oh, and I'd misplaced the joining pieces between sections so you'll have to imagine entrances rather than the solid walls between rooms.

After carefully keeping the welcome party of goblins at bay, filling them full of crossbow bolts... "They have a troll"

Cunning use of a spear around a doorframe allows the good guys to pigstick the troll

... but round the corner are the first hints of the necromancer's foul deeds

... and there's the rest of the bony beggars...

"Stand fast, men, we hold the corner"

The princess is safe, the necromancer slain and his minions dispelled. Time for tea and cake!

So, game-wise, what was learnt? Well, movement, missile combat, and single combat work just as I want them to and provide a fun game. We tried a couple of different ways of organising multiple combats when each side has more than one combatant and picked the one that worked best (thanks, Chris!) although wording it is going to be pesky - three or four illustrations and a couple of sentences should see to it, though. Magic works well, with the right balance between risk to magician, and damage it can inflict.

It really was a great relief that Chris enjoyed the game as I was starting to worry that, having spent such a long amount of time, calendar-wise, squeezed into twenty minute chunks here and there, that it wasn't ever going to appeal to anyone else. Phew!

Whatever else happens, I'm setting myself the target of sending the draft rules out to anyone interested in doing some playtesting by the 1st of March. Definitely.

Hi Joe (Warne?)Glad you like Goblin Quest. The doors were made on the laser cutter at school; I have the cutting files still, so may make some more one day. More info here: http://geeklydigest.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/doorway-to-adventure.html

About Me

The escapist hobby of my teenage years has resurfaced as a way for my adult self to relax and be creative after all the important parts of my day have been addressed. Nostalgia for the simplicity of my youth is undoubtedly a part of it!